There were rounds of thunderous applause, brightly painted signs covered in hearts and piercing screams from flustered girls who were practically crying in delight: The AllNighters' spring concert was Hopkins' version of a `90's boy band show. The all-male a cappella group performed their annual spring concert this past Saturday to a rowdy crowd in Mudd Auditorium. The 16 strapping young men in their signature ties and vests were soaked up the energy from the audience.

 

The AllNighters have been wooing female crowds since 1992. Their numbers have been steadily increasing over the years, according to senior James Clark, who serves as the group's president. This year the group was lucky to get four new, very talented members: sophomore Steve Dunay, and freshmen Alejandro De Simone, Paulo Farqui, and John Jorgenson. Clark is happy to say that they pull in the best male voices every year. "You won't see a down year for the AllNighters anytime soon." Every member is fully dedicated to the group, persevering through seven hours of practice once a week except for weeks prior to performances. Then it's "Hell Week," with totals upwards of 25 hours of exhausting practice, which for many results in laryngitis. Their dedication shines through in the quality of the performance and their positive energy.

 

It is tradition for JHU a cappella groups to invite another college's vocal group as their opening act; however, the AllNighters were turned down not once, not twice, but about 200 times. The other groups were occupied with either their own concerts or final exams. The lovely ladies of the Sirens, Hopkins' female a cappella

 

group, came to the rescue dressed perfectly in black and white with red accents. The girls performed four songs including "Real Love" by Mary J. Blige and "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. The highlight was definitely their rendition of "More to Life," originally sung by Stacie Orrico. Freshman Gina Hermogeno led the song with her amazing voice that could challenge most of today's pop stars. The Sirens also plugged their upcoming show on Friday, May 5 in Bloomberg.

 

The AllNighters performed ten songs, mainly from the modern alternative rock genre. At the beginning of the semester, each member brought in two to three songs to practice. After listening to every song, votes were cast and the top ten were chosen. The members arrange the music themselves, breaking the song into parts for tenor I & II, baritone and bass. Clark proudly boasted of the musical talent within the group especially in the newest members.

 

The group opened with NOFX's "Mediocore," with solos from Clark and junior Jaan Rannik who also serves as the group's musical director. After this humorous song, the boys got right down to business with "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds. Sophomore Sam Anderson led the song with his very soft, baritone voice. Sophomore Chris King's version of The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" was well done, but at times the leading vocals were too overpowering.

 

Freshman Alejandro De Simone had solos in both "Creep" by Radiohead and "Pardon Me" by Incubus. He may not be their strongest soloist, but his voice is well suited for these slower, intense songs. Other songs in their setlist included "All Those Days Are Gone" by Jump, Little Children and "Shiver" by Coldplay. The highlight of the performance was their rendition of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek," an extremely difficult song to sing because of its unclear melody. The song blew the crowd away, including the visiting AllNighters' alumni, whose response of "Holy s***" projected through the silent room at the end of the song. It would have been smart if they had ended on the high note of this song.

 

Both Clark and Dunay shone out above the rest in their songs "Down" by Something Coporate and "Fair" by Remy Zero. Their duet in "Fair" was beautiful; they perfectly complimented each other without overpowering one another.

 

The AllNighters were not necessarily seen as Hopkins' strongest a capella group. This last concert may change that opinion. They spent countless late nights practicing together, sacrificing time from academics, other extracurricular activities and even relationships.

 

Freshman Paulo Farqui said, "The AllNighters are really big on tradition, and I hope to keep that going in my years here." One thing is for certain, they will continue their tradition of making the Hopkins girls swoon.

 

http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/05/07/445cf70f57bbf

i would like to hear that one:D